Texts and the city: The ROM’s Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition sparks controversy (Photo by Mikey Candelori)
• The owner of Le Select Bistro wants Torontonians to boycott the ROM’s Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. On the resto’s Web site, Frederic Geisweiller states that Israel acquired the sacred texts through “force and looting” during a “surprise war.” Pro-Israel factions were quick defend the country’s possession of the scrolls with a boycott of Le Select. We hope no one questions the rightful ownership of hummus or things could get really ugly. [National Post]
• Two weeks after the Toronto Star found high levels of cloriform bacteria in some local ice creams, new inspection standards are in place. City councilor Brian Ashton praised the Star, recalling how the paper’s “Dirty Dining” series in 2000 forced the city to clean up restaurants with the DineSafe system. Journalism, two. City of Toronto, zero. [Toronto Star]
• Using the sensational example of a Chicago man’s nine-foot tapeworm, which he got from eating raw fish, ABC News discusses how the parasite has spread across the world, thanks to the popularity of sushi. Let’s hope Toronto’s Board of Health can beat the media to this one. [ABC News]
• Bloggers in Los Angeles blow through $1,000 of their own money testing local vegan restaurants for authenticity. They discover that most have at least one dish that contains animal products. [LAist]
[...] PDXPIPELINE wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt… thanks to the popularity of sushi. Let’s hope Toronto’s Board of Health can beat the media to this one. [ABC News]. • Bloggers in Los Angeles blow through $1000 of their own money testing local vegan restaurants for authenticity. … [...]
July 1, 2009 at 11:40 pm | by Soft-serve scrutiny, tapeworm population explosion, vegan … | Sushi Restaurants“Using the sensational example of a Chicago man’s nine-foot tapeworm, which he got from eating raw fish, ABC News discusses how the parasite has spread across the world, thanks to the popularity of sushi. Let’s hope Toronto’s Board of Health can beat the media to this one.”
Sigh… but sadly nobody bothers to check with science before anything else. Human tapeworms are NOT transmitted by Saltwater fish. Period. They only occur in Freshwater fish. The physiology of a saltwater fish is toxic to a tapeworm. I’ve never encountered trout, pickerel, bass, catfish or perch in a sushi restaurant… and there’s a good reason for that. And while salmon do spawn in freshwater, these fish are unsuitable for sushi.
All this really does is a) accentuate a greater need for understanding rather than knee-jerk reactions; b) question the practices of some restaurant owners (that doesn’t just go for sushi either) and/or the capabilities of inspectors; and c) wonder about the claims of the guy with the tapeworm… some people will do anything for attention.
July 6, 2009 at 11:01 am | by GTOJack67